They are the fashionable alternatives to sugar which have been championed by ‘clean-eating’ celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Deliciously Ella.
But agave and maple syrup are not healthier choices, according to a presentation at the British Science Festival, because they are just another form of sugar.
Dietitian Dr Duane Mellor, senior lecturer in human nutrition at Coventry University, has urged people to ignore ‘nutribabble’ and not demonise sugar – which has been dubbed more unhealthy than smoking.
Addressing the trendy syrups like agave and raw cane syrup which are increasingly used as replacement sweeteners, he said they are ‘still sugar’, telling an audience: ‘The bottom line is, sugar is sugar.’
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, now a lifestyle guru, has credited agave syrup, which is made from the Mexican agave plant, with helping her maintain her slim figure.
Agave syrup, championed by ‘clean-eating’ celebrity Gwyneth Paltrow, is not a healthier choice, according to a presentation at the British Science Festival
The syrup, which costs up to £10.99 for 500ml on the high street, has seen sales soar following mentions from food bloggers such as Deliciously Ella.
Like maple syrup, it has a low glycemic index (GI), meaning it enters the bloodstream more slowly because of its low sucrose content.
However agave syrup is high in fructose, which is another type of sugar found in a similar form in high fructose corn syrup. That makes them close in composition to the processed sugar largely blamed for the obesity crisis in the US.
Speaking after a presentation called Sugar is the New Fat at the British Science Festival, Dr Mellor said: ‘People could well use less of these syrups in their cooking because fructose is around 1.5 times sweeter than sugar.
‘But they are so expensive, people would really be better off eating less thanhalf as much normal sugar and spending the money they save on healthy foods such as fresh vegetables to improve their diet overall.
‘Celebrities are glamorising these exotic ‘one-shot’ solutions rather than working on making honest, simple, healthy food more attractive.’
The syrup, which costs up to £10.99 for 500ml on the high street, has seen sales soar following mentions from food bloggers such as Deliciously Ella
Last year television dietitian Lucy Jones made similar warnings about trendy natural sweeteners, claiming that many people used them ‘like for like’ so took in similar levels of calories.
She said: ‘Let’s not kid ourselves – whether it’s table sugar, maple syrup, honey, they are all fairly similar in calories across the board because they are all different types of sugar.’
Many people have turned to the sweeteners to replace sugar as concerns have risen over the impact of our national diet.
Sugar has been described as ‘the new tobacco’ because of Britain’s obesity and diabetes epidemic and animal studies suggest it could be addictive.
Doctors and academics say our intake must be reduced by up to 30 per cent to halt a wave of disease and death.
However experts are concerned about the rise of sugar-free diets. There is no need for humans to eat sugar as it provides no nutritional benefits, but cutting it out can see people consume more calories in the form of fat.
Speaking to the audience at the British Science Association’s annual festival, Dr Mellor said: ‘There is a lot of ‘nutribabble’ out there, and that is the polite description.
‘We need to relax and not get so hung up about every individual part of our diet, and look at how the whole thing fits together.’